Georges Brassens was a French singer and songwriter known for accompanying … Read Full Bio ↴Georges Brassens was a French singer and songwriter known for accompanying himself with his acoustic guitar. He wrote some extremely controversial, yet poetic songs. In doing so, he managed to change attitudes across France.

He was uncompromising when composing his songs. His tactical method of addressing issues was profound and often humorous, making him a unique and effective figure in the French community.

Brassens, born in 1921 in the small Mediterrenean port of Sete, wanted to be a poet. He realized very early however that poetry in the 20th century could hardly put bread on the table and instead set himself to become a singer.

He is much less famous internationally than contemporaries like Charles Aznavour, Edith Piaf and Yves Montand, as much of the impact of his songs came from the lyrics, which proved difficult to translate into other languages. He loved the Middle Ages and used a great deal of Old French vocabulary, as well as many classical - ie., Latin and Greek - references. Few people, even in France, possess the background to fully understand his songs.

Yet he was at the same time a hugely popular singer and many of his songs still carry a lot of appeal and relevance. In this sense, he can be compared to Boris Vian, to Jacques Brel, and to a lesser extent to Serge Gainsbourg.

He was very sophisticated, yet at the same time used profanity liberally. While he wasn't politically engaged, he was nevertheless unambiguously a leftist, many of his songs carrying blatant and buoyant anarchist overtones.

While his music was initially quite primitive, the 1950's St-Germain-des-Pres influence quickly made itself felt and while subdued and - in his mind - always secondary to the lyrics, it became increasingly sophisticated - to the point that many of his songs have been covered and reinterpretated by jazzmen (see for instance this UK site: www.projetbrassens.eclipse.co.uk)

He died in 1981, but up to this date (2006) there are few French people - including most of those born since - who can't sing along to his most famous song, Les Copains d'abord ("Friends foremost") or his "Bancs public" ("Public Benches").

For those interested, this site carries a number of (quite good) English tranlations of his songs: www.brassens.org

Germaine Tourangelle
Georges Brassens Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Germaine Tourangelle

Cette gerbe est pour vous
Manon des jours heureux
Pour vous cette autre, eh! Oui
Jeanne des soirs troublants

Plus souple vers l'azur et déchiré des Sylphes

Voilà tout un bouquet de roses pour Thérèse

Où donc est-il, son fin petit nez qui renifle?
Au paradis?
Eh! Non, cendre au Père-Lachaise

Plus haut, cet arbre d'eau
Qui rechute pleureur
En saule d'Orphélie
Est pour vous, Amélie

Et pour vous ma douceur
Ma douleur, ma folie!
Germaine Tourangelle
Ô vous, la plus jolie

Le fluide arc-en-ciel
S'égrenant sur mon cœur

Overall Meaning

In Georges Brassens's song Germaine Tourangelle, the singer presents a bouquet of flowers to various women in his life. The first two lines of the song reveal that it is a tribute to women who made the singer happy. The song is a sequence of dedications to the women the singer knew, each with their own flowers. The song moves on from the dedication of the roses to Thérèse, Amélie, and others. The singer also makes reference to the location of the dead, suggesting that loved ones have passed away, but their memory remains.

One of the interesting things about this song is that it is a tribute to women who made the singer happy. The song also reveals the importance of memory and how one can keep the memory of loved ones alive through words, and in this case, with flowers. The song is also a commentary on the idea of femininity and the nature of the love the singer has for women. The singer expresses his love in a non-sexual way, revealing the importance of platonic love in his life.

Line by Line Meaning

Cette gerbe est pour vous
I offer you this bouquet

Manon des jours heureux
Like the carefree Manon, embodying happiness

Pour vous cette autre, eh! Oui
Here's another one for you, yes indeed

Jeanne des soirs troublants
Embodying the mystery of troubled evenings, like Jeanne

Plus souple vers l'azur et déchiré des Sylphes
Even more flexible towards the sky and as pure as Sylphs

Voilà tout un bouquet de roses pour Thérèse
Here's a whole bouquet of roses for Thérèse

Où donc est-il, son fin petit nez qui renifle?
Where is her cute little nose that used to snuffle?

Au paradis?
In heaven?

Eh! Non, cendre au Père-Lachaise
No, it's ashes at Père Lachaise cemetery

Plus haut, cet arbre d'eau
Higher up, there's a weeping water tree

Qui rechute pleureur
That keeps on falling and crying